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No one likes to make mistakes. But a new study says
organizations learn more from their failures than from their successes, and
keep that knowledge longer.
One of the researchers was Vinit Desai, an assistant
professor at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. He worked with
Peter Madsen from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University
in Utah.
They did not find much long-term "organizational learning"
from success. It is possible, they say. But Professor Desai says they found
that knowledge gained from failure lasts for years. He says organizations
should treat failures as a learning opportunity and not try to ignore them.
The study looked at companies and organizations that launch
satellites and other space vehicles. Professor Desai compared two shuttle
flights. In two thousand two, a piece of insulating (隔热的) material broke off during launch and
damaged a rocket on the Atlantis. Still the flight was considered a success.
Then in early two thousand three, a piece of insulation struck the Columbia
during launch. This time, the shuttle broke apart on re-entry and the seven
crew members died. NASA officials suspended all flights and an investigation
led to suggested changes.
Professor Desai says the search for solutions after a
failure can make leaders more open-minded. He points to air-lines as an example
of an industry that has learned from failures in the past. He advises
organizations to look for useful information in small failures and failures
they avoided. He also urges leaders to encourage the open sharing of
information. The study appeared in the Academy
of management Journal.
The mistakes we learn from do not have to be our own. We
recently asked people on our Facebook page to tell us a time they had done
something really silly. Fabricio Cmino wrote: Not long ago I wanted to watch
TV, but it wouldn't turn on, so I did everything I could to start it. Thirty
minutes later my mum showed up and, passing by, said to me "Did you try
plugging it?" "I'm just dusting, Mum!" So she wouldn't notice
how dumb I am sometimes!
Bruno Kanieski da Silva told about a time he looked
everywhere for his key. It was in his pocket. He wrote: I always promise I will
never do it again, but after a few weeks, where is my wallet? For sure it will
be in a very logical place.
